Page 70 of Her Frozen Heart

Nikki struggled to process what Mark was saying. “I don’t understand. Why would he have your number?”

“I spent a long time in that prison,” Mark said. “I have friends. I go back and see them. A couple have my cell number. John used the rest of his phone minutes for this month to call me. Rory and I were already out searching, and so were Miller and Liam and every other cop. They ran Roth’s information, and that trailer was registered to him. Liam told us to wait for backup, but Rory wasn’t going to wait.”

Nikki needed a few seconds to process what he’d said. Of all the people she’d have expected to come to her aid, John Banks was at the bottom of the list.

“Are you telling me that if John Banks hadn’t called you, I would be dead right now?” Nikki asked. She should be grateful, and deep down, she was, but the idea of being beholden to the bastard who’d ruined her life and Mark’s made her sick to her stomach.

“Basically,” Mark said. “For what it’s worth, he apologized. I forgave him.”

His mother shook her head. “You’re a saint. I pray for that man to rot in hell every night.” She sighed. “I suppose I should stop that now.”

“Did Roth get away? He said he was dying from cancer. I was his final victim, so he’d never be forgotten.” Nikki’s head had started to clear, and the ringing in her ears had stopped.

“He kept driving after he clipped you with the car,” Mark said. “Good thing because Rory had his damned rifle loaded and ready. Idiot. I told him you’d be mad as hell if he got arrested for murder, even if the guy was Roth.”

“Still would have done it.” Rory had returned from the bathroom. He hurried over to the other side of the bed and rested his forehead against Nikki’s. Tears brimmed in his eyes. “I was so scared, Nik. Please don’t put me through that again.”

Nikki’s throat was too tight with emotion to speak. She touched Rory’s chapped lips and then the angry-looking skin on his cheek. “What happened?”

“Dumbass remembered his gun, but not winter gear,” Mark said. “I think it makes him look more manly and less like a pretty boy, you know?”

Rory flipped Mark off.

“Both of you stop that right now,” Ruth hissed. “We’re in a hospital, for Pete’s sake.”

“They caught him, though, right?”

“Yep,” Mark said. “Miller had roadblocks set up everywhere. Roth tried to outrun them and wound up in the ditch. I think they stitched him up and took him to jail.”

“Did Miller and Liam get the flash drive he gave me? It was in my pocket.” Nikki’s throat felt raw from the cold, but she needed to make sure the flash drive had been recovered.

Rory nodded. “You don’t remember the ambulance ride?”

“The last thing I remember is flying through the air,” she said.

“You were in and out of it on the way to the hospital,” he said. “You kept trying to get something out of your pocket and mumbling that Liam needed it. You told me to give it to him, and I did.”

“Roth claimed his victims’ locations were on it.”

“They were,” Rory said. “He texted me earlier and told me to tell you there were at least thirty more victims in New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas and Arizona. He and Miller are coordinating with the other agencies to sort it out. I’m supposed to tell you that it’s your turn to be the invalid. Oh, and that Roth had receipts for a tanning salon in his wallet. He made a big deal about his vacation, but Liam said he was in town the whole time. The sun burn was part of his alibi. Bastard thought ahead.”

“Did Roth lie about the cancer?” Nikki asked. She didn’t want him to have the satisfaction of dying instead of rotting in prison.

“We don’t know,” Mark said. “I hope not, because if he isn’t dying, he’s going to end up in Oak Park with John and Oliver. They’re bad dudes, but they both care about you in really twisted ways. He’ll be dealt with.”

“I told Lacey you had the flu,” Rory said, worry lines between his eyes. “I didn’t want to lie to her, but I wasn’t sure what you would want me to say, and she’s been through so much. If she knew how close she came to losing you…”

“You did the right thing.” Nikki wrapped her arm around Rory’s neck and took Mark’s hand with the other. “Thank you. You guys risked your lives for me. I owe you everything.”

Ruth patted Nikki’s arm. “Sweetheart, we’re family. We stick together.”

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